PRESS RELEASE: Ocean Leaders send letter to Clinton and Trump

What will you do as President for the Blue in our Red, White and Blue?

Posted on Aug 23rd, 2016

For Immediate Release - DATE

For more information contact:

David Helvarg, Blue Frontier

(202) 491-6296 or (510) 778-8470

helvarg@bluefront.org

Ocean Leaders send letter to Secretary Clinton and Mr. Trump: What will you do as President for the Blue in our Red, White and Blue?

This past week a letter went out to campaign representatives for Secretary Hillary Clinton and Mr. Donald Trump from 115 ocean leaders in business, science, conservation, education and other fields seeking clarification on what they will do if elected President to protect our public seas, ocean economy and maritime security (see the attached letter). The aim is to get a response by early September on how the next President will act on key coastal and ocean issues.

These include the fight against illegal pirate fishing, establishment of marine protected areas – like National Parks in the sea - and coastal adaptation to sea level rise and other climate challenges.

The letter also calls for appropriate levels of funding for frontline agencies involved in exploration, conservation and maritime law-enforcement including the U.S. Coast Guard and National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.

The Ocean leaders who’ve signed this letter include CEOs of seafood and other businesses, directors of major science labs, aquariums and diver organizations, well known ocean explorers, authors, artists, marine conservationists, members of Congress and former heads of EPA and NOAA.

For more information on the attached ocean letter feel free to contact David Helvarg, Executive Director Blue Frontier at helvarg@bluefront.org.

Also feel free to contact the Clinton and Trump campaigns directly. Their responses have been respectfully requested by September 7.

Dear Secretary Clinton,

Dear Mr. Trump,

As citizens we call on the next President of the United States to support our nation’s marine and coastal economy and assure the sound stewardship of our coasts and ocean. Our nation’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), stretching 200 miles out from our shores, is the largest in the world: a blue frontier more extensive than our continental landmass. With increased scientific knowledge and understanding of this great frontier comes both an opportunity and a responsibility to protect, preserve and restore the blue in our red, white and blue.

Recognizing that the protection of coastal communities, ocean-dependent jobs and businesses, the marine environment and America’s maritime heritage has long been a nonpartisan goal, we ask you as one of the two leading candidates for President of the United States, to respond and commit to the following principles and actions:

I. International Arena

Support initiatives to protect our global commons on the high seas and the polar seas through agreements to restore fish and other marine wildlife, reduce marine pollution, encourage scientific collaboration and protect vital habitats including seamounts, coral reefs and coastal mangroves. An excellent example of this kind of commitment was the broad bipartisan support that led to the IUU (Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported) Fishing Enforcement Act of 2015.

Based on the early work of Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush who established the highest level of protection for the PapahÄÂÂÂÂnaumokuÄÂÂÂÂkea Marine National Monument of Hawaii, and Presidents Bush and Barack Obama in establishing and expanding the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, we call for similar support for global efforts to create additional marine reserves based on the best-available science. We expect the next president to support the continued protection of unique ocean habitats similar to the United States’ National Parks system. These areas can act as a world repository of marine biodiversity for our own and future generations.

II. United States

Continue to expand a national ocean policy that coordinates federal efforts to eliminate agency conflicts and redundancy while working with traditional and emerging users of our public seas, coasts and Great Lakes. This policy should embrace local, state, tribal and regional initiatives to ensure healthy and productive seas. The next administration should also continue to promote best fisheries and aquaculture management practices to sustain our living resources and the jobs that go with them including market transparency and traceability. You should address emerging challenges from a changing climate including protecting coastal populations at risk, providing resources such as new Coast Guard icebreakers for the Arctic and research tools for science. You should address the impacts of sea-level rise, ocean acidification, ocean warming as well as new ocean uses including offshore wind and hydrokinetic energy sources.

Recognizing that our EEZ frontier waters and our national economy depend on healthy seas, new discoveries and maritime enforcement, the next President should commit to fully fund the marine stewardship, exploration and law-enforcement missions carried out by the frontline agencies on America’s blue frontier including the United States Coast Guard and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

We believe a commitment to these four action areas by the next President of the United States will help turn the tide in restoring a vital element of the American economy, our heritage and our security from sea to shining sea.

We look forward to your response that we hope to receive by Sept. 7 and to hearing more on your plans.

With regards and respect,

Katherine Abbot

President and CEO

Boston Harbor Now

Glenn A. Arthur

Chairman

New Jersey Council of Diving Clubs

Dana Beach

Executive Director

South Carolina Coastal Conservation League

Wendy Benchley

Co-Founder

Peter Benchley Ocean Awards

Jeff Benoit

President

Restore America’s Estuaries

Dr. Scott G. Borgeson

CEO

CargoMetrics Technologies

Angel Braestrup

Executive Director

The Curtis & Edith Munson Foundation

Peg Brandon

President

Sea Education Association/SEA Semester

Graham Casden

Chief Visionary Officer

Ocean First

Susan Casey

Author

Gary Cherr, PhD

Professor Environmental Toxicology & Nutrition

Director, University of California Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory

Reverend Dr. Richard Cizik

President

New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good

Representative Curt Clawson (R- 19th)

Naples, Florida

Dianna Cohen

CEO co-founder

Plastic Pollution Coalition

Philippe Cousteau

Executive Director

EarthEcho International

Dr. Michael Crosby

President & CEO

Mote Marine Laboratory

Mary T. Crowley

Executive Director

Ocean Voyages Institute

Project Kaisei

Anna Cummins

Co-Founder

The 5 Gyres Institute

Jim Cummings

Executive Director

Acoustic Ecology Institute

R. Mark Davis

President

Sailors for the Sea

Richard Delaney

President and CEO

Center for Coastal Studies

Jacqueline Dixon

Dean

University of South Florida

College of Marine Science

Dr. Sylvia Earle

Oceanographer

National Geographic Explorer in Residence

Representative Sam Farr (D-20th)

Monterey, California

Daniella V. Fernandez

Founder & Chair

Sustainable Oceans Alliance

Alexandra S. Garcia

Executive Director

International League of Conservation Photographers

Sherri Goodman

Former CEO, Consortium for Ocean Leadership

Former Deputy Undersecretary of Defense (Environmental Security)

Member, Joint Ocean Commission Initiative Leadership Council

Gary Griggs

Distinguished Professor & Director

Institute of Marine Sciences

University of California Santa Cruz

Marce Gutierrez-Graudins

Founder/Director

AZUL

William E. Hawkins

Professor Emeritus

Director, Gulf Coast Research Laboratory (Retired)

University of Southern Mississippi

Randy Hayes

Executive Director

Foundation Earth

David Helvarg

Executive Director

Blue Frontier

Wolcott Henry

President

The Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation

Dr. Nigella Hillgarth

President and Chief Executive Officer

New England Aquarium

Elizabeth Lacey Hoover

Chairman

Herbert W. Hoover Foundation

Joseph Ierna Jr.

Founder and Executive Director

Ocean CREST Alliance

Jeremy Jackson

Professor of Oceanography Emeritus

Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Phillip Johnson

Executive Director

Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition

Susan Jordon

Executive Director

California Coastal Protection Network

Les Kaufman

Professor of Biology

Boston University Marine Program

Kiho Kim, PhD

Professor & Chair

Department of Environmental Science

American University

Isabeella Kirkland

Artist

Geraldine Knatz, Ph.D.

Professor of Practice of Policy and Engineering

USC Sol Price School of Public Policy

Vice Admiral Conrad Lautenbacher (U.S. Navy, Ret)

CEO and Director, GeoOptics, Inc.

Former Under Secretary of Commerce/NOAA Administrator (2001-2008)

Member, Joint Ocean Commission Initiative Leadership Council

Margaret Leinen, Ph.D.

Director, Scripps Institution of Oceanography

UC San Diego Vice Chancellor for Marine Sciences

Dean of the School of Marine Science

Wayne Levin

Fine Art Photographer

Roland Lewis

President and CEO

Waterfront Alliance

Kurt Lieber

Executive Director / Founder

Ocean Defenders Alliance (ODA)

Kimball Livingston

Commodore

St. Francis Yacht Club

Pam Longobardi

Distinguished University Professor

Professor of Art

GSU / Atlanta

Tami Lunsford

President

National Marine Educators Association

David McGuire, MEH

Director

Shark Stewards

Sunshine Menezes, Ph.D.

Executive Director

Metcalf Institute for Marine & Environmental Reporting

University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography

Andreas Merkl

Chief Executive Officer

Ocean Conservancy

Ali Miller

President

Colorado Scuba Retailers Association (CSRA)

Partner, Denver Divers

Todd Miller

Executive Director

North Carolina Coastal Federation

Kevin Mills

President and CEO

South Carolina Aquarium

Ambassador John Norton Moore

Director, The Center for Oceans Law & Policy

The University of Virginia

Bill Mott

Director

The Ocean Project

Peter Neill

Director

World Ocean Observatory

Chad Nelsen

CEO

Surfrider Foundation

Wallace J. Nichols PhD

Founder

Blue Mind Fund

Vicki Nichols Goldstein

Founder and Director

Colorado Ocean Coalition

Timothy O’Shea

CEO & Co-Founder

CleanFish

Dave Oakes, Ed.D.

Co-director

Center for Ecological Living and Learning

Chris Palmer

Director

Center for Environmental Filmmaking

American University

Stephen Palumbi

Director, Hopkins Marine Station

Stanford University

Daniel Pingaro

Executive Director

Laguna Beach Community Foundation

Ellen Prager, PhD

President

Earth2Ocean, Inc

Louie Psihoyos

Executive Director

Oceanic Preservation Society

DeeVon Quirolo

President

Nature Coast Conservation, Inc.

Nancy Rabalais, PhD.

Executive Director and Professor

Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium

John Racanelli

President/ Chief Executive Officer

National Aquarium

Drew Richardson

President and Chief Executive Officer

PADI Worldwide

Jim Ries

President

One More Generation

David Rockefeller, Jr.

Co-founder

Sailors for the Sea

William D. Ruckelshaus

Former Administrator, U.S. Environmental Agency (1970-’73, 1983-’85)

Member, Joint Ocean Commission Initiative Leadership Council

Sean Russell

Director

Youth Ocean Conservation Summit

Daniella Russo

Chief Executive Officer

Think Beyond Plastic™ Innovation Accelerator

Karen Sack

Managing Director

Ocean Unite

Carl Safina

Endowed Professor for Nature and Humanity

Stony Brook University

Miyoko Sakashita

Oceans Director

Center for Biological Diversity

Enric Sala

Explorer-in-Residence

National Geographic Society

Dr. Paul Sandifer

Research Associate and Director

Center for Coastal Environmental and Human Health, College of Charleston